The 24 Hour Dress

Midi over Maxi

Who said over the knee means over the hill? This season, mid-length is definitely out-doing maxi in the summer style stakes. Floor length by day is a bit touch and go but the Midi is the ultimate 24 hour dress- sandal friendly day wear and the epitomy of evening elegance by night. Master of the Midi goes to Jesse J  for her commitment to this length. Oh and I love her choice of jersey prints....

As seen on Jesse J, Asos, €28

Asos, €29

Motel, €30

Motel, €44

Chunky Town

In shoe world, when comfort meets style, buy in bulk. That's why i'm all about these chunky, 70's chic shoes this summer. Thick aztec print heels are a subtle nod to tribal style and look great with jeans. I'm in love with Topshop's take on a summer boot and Zara's wide lime heel is just as elegant as a stilletto- forget what they say!

Keep it chunky ladies...

 

The LBD (Long Black Dress)

Warehouse Maxi T-shirt Dress €36.92 Asos

So you thought the Little Black Dress confirmed the adage that less is more. Think again. The Long Black Dress is carving its way into the wardrobe staple short list and there's no stopping it. It's no wonder with it's bold appearances on the red carpet with Rihanna in plunging Armani and Gwyneth Paltrow channelling cut out in it's most sophisticated form! While the Little Black Dress says classic and understated in the best way possible, the Long Black Dress is more versatile than you think. You may not be able to justify buying a long black evening dress in spite of all of those red carpet invites but the Long Black Dress isn't confined to the night. Check out this black, Warehouse maxi t-shirt dress, the perfect way to be effortlessly cool in floor length black. Put it with a stone wash denim jacket and brown chelsea boots for a casual spring lunch/shopping date. So maybe you'll think again when shopping for that LBD, length can be more. Fad or Friend?

Channeling Chanel

Olivia Palermo, denim and tweed

Whitney Port, print and tweed

Kate Moss, nautical Channel

Sienna Miller, tweed and chino

Vintage Chanel

Since the 20th Century, Chanel has stood for luxury and feminie tailoring. As famous for its outerwear as its interlocking C's, Chanel's timeless tweed blazer has been worn by women through the decades. In the 90's it was Hillary Banks: matching tweed skirt suit, wedding hat and driving gloves. This season, it's less rich kid and more mashup with a host of celebs mixing delicate blazers with prints and tough fabrics, swapping the token pastel shades with dark tweeds. Mix the ultra-feminine blazer with unlikely pairings like denim to channel casual Chanel...

With lots of great interpretations on the high street, there's no need to worry about the authentic price tag. Here's some of my top finds:

H & M

Mango

H & M

What Women Want (Men to Wear)

Say NO to man cleavage

Dani, Tre, Me, Fi (The Panel)

So I put together a panel of close friends for this one. We may be dotted around the globe but we always find time to talk about the important things in life.... can clothes make or break a man? We're not material girls but we agree that we may have make up but men can dress to impress. JLS/ Geordie Shore, cleavage baring, fake tan weilding guys are a no, no but a man who channels a bit of personality in to his wardrobe gets two thumbs up. We say 'don't overstyle, just care'.

 Here's some of our favourite manwear:

Jude Law aka 'Lawd of the Suit,' Tinie Tempah rocks a simple tee and jeans

Toms and White Converse never fail

 

Two Thumbs Up

Dark wash jeans, not too tight
Cool t-shirt
Toms
Well tailored suit
Suit jacket and jeans combo
raybans/aviators
converse (clean ones in classic white)


Main Offenders

Anything with a cowl neck is a sin
Pale jeans
Body warmers
Jean and black/brown loafers/church shoes combo
Exessive jewellery i.e rings and earrings
Wife beaters
Anything flowery 
Crocs
Cleavage Tshirts/ Deep Deep V's... leave it to the ladies!

What do women want men to wear? We can't speak for everyone but one thing for sure is that simplicity is key! Let me know what you think!

BOY oh BOY

So it looks like Boy London is the latest in your face branding collection to make waves since Paul's Boutique just WAY more tasteful. Well it's more of a come back really. Worn by Madonna and Warhol, it was the must have 80's label that carried through to the 90's too.

Rihanna is Boy London overkill here but I have my eye on a few key pieces- worn separately of course! There's something about the black and white theme, it's classic.

Rihanna goes BOY mad

Boy I like, available in Urban Outfitters

Return of the Mac

Mac Attack

1. H&M €49.95

2.Topshop £68

3. Topshop £125

4. Mark Morisson, the original Mack daddy... I couldn't resist

Mac, trench coat, whatever you want to call it, it's back again and it's big for Spring/Summer 2012. The best part is that this neutral outerwear is the perfect middle man between daytime and dressy, I'd call it casual tailoring actually. So wear your mac to work, wear it shopping or at night, heck wear it open, belted or belted behind too! This H&M mac is as good as it gets so I got it: waist cinching belt, trademark lapels and chunky brown buttons. Fad or Friend?

Christine x

An Appetite for The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games has exploded State-side but I can't help but notice that lots of my friends have no idea about the latest paperback trilogy to rock the teen drama world and move to the big screen from March 23rd.

Now, that could just be because I don't hang out with enough teenage girls but the Twilight saga did manage to transcend all age barriers and let's face it, the books aren't actually that good.

While i've not been quite as proud to talk openly about my love of adolescent dramas in the past, I want to shout out from the rooftops about The Hunger Games because the books have just the right blend of intelligent plot lines, action, suspense and a token love triangle to make that OK. Plus, the movie has become as much about the story as the glamorous and unexpected cast. Whet your appetite for the Hunger Games here:

Leading lady Jennifer Lawrence a.k.a Katniss Everdeen is Hollywood's 'one to watch''

  The Hunger Games love triangle features 'boy next door' (Peeta) and 'bad boy' (Gale) played by Liam Hemsworth (dating Miley Cyrus)

Lenny Kravitz plays quirky stylist Cinna- impeccable casting

Hunger Games presenter Caesar Flickerman....and it get's weirder! 

In case you don't know much about the Hunger Games, here goes: the books tell the story of katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl living in a 3rd world, post-apocalyptic America known as Districts 1-12. Years before, these districts revolted against the 'Capitol'- the wealthy district that houses what could only be described as the government.

As punishment, the Capitol  has concocted a cruel pay back where every year, a boy and a girl from each district is chosen from a lottery system known as the 'Reaping' and must fight to the death in a surprisingly gory battle: the Hunger Games. Most disturbingly, it serves as reality t.v for the superficial residents of the 'Capitol' who are more invested in plastic surgery than human life.

While the Hunger Games is somewhat of a commentary on 21st Century society, I really didn't read into that too deeply. As ever, the token love triangle and makeover moments is what kept me glued! While I loved the books, I really hope the movie doesn't disappoint, I will let you know after Friday!

Denim Shirt DO's

If the denim shirt is the kid sister of the denim jacket, it took all of the best jeans genes: versatility, day to night appeal and staying power. But if you're gonna do it, do it right:

Do wear with your leather jacket

Do wear with black, it never fails

Do wear like a cardigan

Do wear tucked in to a high waisted skirt

Do wear with leopard print, there's something about the combo

Do wear with stripes

Do wear knotted

 

Do wear with Red Jeans. Shirt, River Island €50, Jeans, Mango, €30

The Fashion Mullet "It's all business in the back and party in the front!"

River Island €60

A.C Slater rocks a mullet in Saved by the Bell

The dip hem skirt.......the mullet of Spring/Summer 2012 and that's not just because of the long back and short sides. Like the dodgy 80's do that seems to have crept back into noughtys society, it's the Marmite of the season. Do you love the dip hem skirt? I'm not sure how I feel but I'm willing to give it a shot because I'm a logical kind of gal and I've considered the pros and cons.

Pros:
Loose fit should be flattering on most shapes
Day to night in a flash

Cons:
Boys will never 'get' this style

So I guess the pros out weigh the cons but looking silly will always win the day....thinking of taking the dip hem plunge?